Horse-cleaning machine



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

' 0. s. &, E. A. OONDE.

HORSE CLEANING MACHINE.

Patented May 13, 1884.

N. PETERS. Phntohklwgnphar. Walhinglon. D. C,

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(N0 Model.)

0. S. 8: E. A. GONDB.

HORSE CLEANING MAGHINE.

l lL" Patented May 13. 1884.

1? mmmnlrfim' III 1720mm??- moa NIED STATES PATENT CORNELIUS S. OONDE AND EDWVIN A. CONDE, OF BATAVIA, ILLINOIS.

HORSE-CLEANING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 298,352, dated May 13, 1884.

' Application filed April 7, 1883. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, OoRNnLiUs S. mm and EDWIN A. OoNDE, citizens of the United States, residing at Batavia, in the county of Kane and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Machines for Cleaning Horses and other Animals, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to an improved rotary animal brushing, combing, or cleaning machine provided with a handle by which it can be moved over the horses body and limbs,

and with a revolving brush or comb applied within a case, and with gearing traction rollers or wheels set in action by contact with the body and limbs of the horse, and with dust-chambers and discharge plates or valves, and with a height-regulating roller and coupling contrivance by which the brush can be withdrawn and another substituted for it or the same one replaced in a very ready and convenient manner.

Our invention is designed to facilitate the operation and lessen the labor of grooming horses and other animals, and with it about four times the work performed in a given time with ordinary grooming implements can be effected, and this in a better manner and with very slight labor of theoperator.

In the accompanying drawings our device is represented as provided with a brush formed of bristles; but in practice any other material adapted for forming the brush or revolving comb may be employedas, for instance, hard rubber, whalebone, splints of wood, metal, and the like.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved revolving horse-cleaner as ready for use upon a horse or other animal. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the same, and Fig. 3-

is an inverted plan view and partial section of the same. Fig. 4 is a modification of the gearing, whereby all of the same is made to operate by friction. Either pair of the gearwheels may be toothed or plain-surfaced. Fig. 5 is another modification of the gearing shown in Fig. 1, whereby three externally-toothed gears are employed instead of the internallytoothed wheel and three spur-gears. The dotted line 00 10 illustrates base of frame 0. Fig. 6 is another modification of the gearing, showing also a modification of the traction device, which by rolling upon the horses body sets the brush or combin motion. In this view two fast. pulleys, o 0, and a belt, 0 passed around them, are shown, and the friction tractionwheel 13 bears against a friction-wheel, 0 of the brush-cylinder. Fig. 7 is another modification showing the brush revolved by traction friction-wheels B, applied loosely upon shafts arranged in rear and in front of the brush-cylinder and acting upon the brush-cylinder, the middle portion of the brush-cylinder being made with a larger diameter and the middle traction-wheels of less diameter than the end wheels, to conform to portions of the horses body. Fig. 8 is another modification showing pulleys p on the ends of front and rear tractionrollers, and a belt, 1), passed from each pulley, crossed, and passed round pulleys 011 the respective ends of the brush-cylinder.

Fig. 9 is another modification showing the front and rear traction-rollers and an auxiliary loose pulley, a", and a belt, 0, passed around the rollers, a pulley of the brush-cylinder, and the loose pulley r. Fig. 10 is another modification showing a saddle-support, O, suspended beneath the center of the brushcylinder, with a friction tractioirwheel bearing against the brush-cylinder while resting on the horses body. The saddle-support carries also a toothed wheel, q, of smaller diameter than the frictionwheel, which toothed wheel may be used in lieu of the frictionwheel for driving the brush direct by providing a pinion on the brush-cylinder. Fig. 11 is a modified form of brush cylinder, showing the toothed pinion q, with which the pinion of the saddle-support gears.

In all of the constructions represented the brush or comb cylinder A revolves in the direction indicated by the arrow 1, while the traction roller or wheels B revolves in the direction indicated by the arrow 2.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2, and 3 of the drawings, it will be seen that an arch-shaped frame, 0, closed at its sides or ends a a, is employed for supporting the brush or comb cylinder A and all the other parts of the implement. Across the top of this frame a looplike bail or handle, D, is applied in a rigid manner. This loop-handle is of a form to admit of the operators hand being inserted between it and the top of the frame in just the same manner as when the hand is passed into the loop or strap of an ordinary groomingbrush for the purpose of moving it over the horses back. The arched form of the top of the frame 0 and the construction and arrangement of the handle D give the operator complete control of the cleaner, whether he desires to press it downward or lift it up or move it forward or backward. The construction and arrangement of the handle as shown are preferable to any other known to us; but other constructions and arrangements might be adopted without departing, essentially, from our invention. The brush-cylinder, provided with bristles, whalebone, or other suitable brushing or combing materials, is provided at one or both ends with a perforated couplingdisk, I). In the drawings but one such disk is shown, and therefore a short journal, I), is provided on one end of the cylinder, which journal isboxed in the end or side a. The coupling-disk b is coupled to a short detached journal, 0, by means of a disk, N, which has several'spurs or pins, b projecting from its face, and which .pins enter the perforations in disk I), and are held in place by a spiral spring, If, as shown. The short detached journal 0 is suitably boxed in the end or side a of the frame, and is allowed to slide longitudinally, with its disk [2 through a proper-sized opening, 0, cut into the said end or side of the frame provided for this purpose. When the journal 0 is moved along far enough to withdraw the spurs or pins b from 1 the disk I), the brush-cylinder can be withdrawn from the frame. The longitudinal movement of the journal 0 and the pinion f thereon is effected by moving the brush-cylinderlongitudinallyagainstthespring-pressed disk b until the spring I) is compressed and.

the journal b of the brush-cylinder has been completely withdrawn from its box. Thus provision is made for taking out a worn brush and replacing it by a new one, or for changing the character of the brush to suit the kind of work to be done. To accomplish this it is only necessary to move the brush longitudinally against the spring-pressed disk 12 and then to lower incliningly the journal end I) of the brush sufficiently to withdraw the coupling-disk I) from the pins 2) of the disk b and thereby disconnect the brush-cylinder from the machine.

In constructing our brush or comb we arrange the bristles or splints on spiral lines around the cylinder, and also set the bunches or tufts so that a succeeding tuft or bunch of one spiral row will stand opposite a space of a preceding row. By this construction and arrangement a diagonal sweep across the animals body is produced, which insures a more perfect grooming operation with less strain upon the machine or resistance to the operator, and while this effect is produced the alternating of the bunchesof bristles insures contact of the brush with every part passed over by the implement. For effecting the revolution of the brush or comb in the direction of the arrow 1, the short journal 0 is extended out beyond the end or side a, and 011 this extension a pinion, f, is keyed fast. This pinion gears into an internally-toothed wheel, F, which is supported on the frame 0 by a fixed arbor, g. The toothed rim of the wheel F is broad enough to allow the extended portion of the short journal to move longitudinally for the purpose of uncoupling the brushcylinder, as hereinbefore described, and ahole, e, is cut in the side of said wheel F, to afford a passage through which the pinion f can move longitudinally with the extension of the short journal 0 and the disk b Between the brush cylinder and the traction roller or wheels B a spur-wheel, G, is provided upon the outer end of the fixed arbor g, and into this spur-wheel a larger spur-wheel, H, on the shaft of the roller or wheels B gears, as shown. The roller B (shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3) is j ournaled in the frameC, and a portion of its periphery stands a little below the base of the ends or sides a a during its revolution, and thus when the implement is pressed down and moved along the horses back the traction or friction between the roller and the horses back causes the roller to revolve, and thereby set the gearing and the brush in revolving motion.

The roller I at the front end of the frame serves as a fulcrum or purchase upon which to operate the machine, and by means of this roller the extent of contact of the brush with the horses body can be controlled, for by throwing up or down the rear end of the frame the height of the frame from the horses back will bb regulated. This roller might be provided with adjusting-holes,into which its j ournals may be placed. For catching the dust brushed from the horse, trap-doors or hinged plates J and K are applied horizontally on the bottom of the frame 0, these plates being hinged at h h near one of their edges, and their hinging-rods being extended up at right angles on the side or end a of the frame, bent into the form of a loop, i, and then carried down and fastened to the plates near their free edges, as shown at h h hinging-rods form spring catches or fastenings, and they catch against retaining-pinsj and hold the plates in the position shown by full black lines. -When the catches t are released from the pins j, the plates will descend to the positions illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 2, and allow the trapped dust to escape from the inside of the frame.

Across the frame and within the circle described by the brush-cylinder a rod or bar, k, is applied, so that the bunches of bristles shall strike against it during the revolution of the brush-cylinder, and thereby have dirt and dust jarred or knocked out of them, and thus be in better condition for cleaning the horse when they again come into action.

In the various modifications shown the one The loop portions '5 of the leading operation of the machine herein described, and represented by Figs. 1, 2, and 3 of the drawings, is embracedviz., producing the revolution of the brush in the direction of the arrow 1 by means of gearing set in motion byatraction roller or wheel bearing on and moving over the horses back, and as the special constructions shown by these modifications are not specifically claimed, further description of them is not deemed necessary.

It will be understood that the rotary brush or comb which we employ for cleaning horses and other animals is constructed of bristles, wires, or splints of such stiffness as to be capable of stirring out and removing dirt and dust adhering to the surface skin or hair of the animals operated uponthat is, the bristles, wires, or splints are unlike the soft, pliable substances used in brushes of carpet-sweepers, and if such were used in sweepers they would destroy the carpets in avery short time.

WVhat we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. Thehorse cleaning, brushing, or combing machine comprising the closed portable archshaped frame having abow-shaped handle, the partition, the dust-traps, and the knocker-rod, suitable driving-gearing, the combing, brushing, or cleaning cylinder, the traction-rollers, and the coupling devices between the gearing and the cylinder, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. An animal brushing, combing, or cleaning machine comprising a closed portable frame having apartition and ahandle, hinged dust-trap doors, a knocker-rod, suitable driving-gearing, a traction-roller, an adjustingroller, and the coupling means between said gearing and cylinder, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. The horse brushing, combing, or cleaning machine comprising the arch-shaped closed portable frame having a loop or bow shaped handle at the crown of its arch, the removable brushing, combing, or cleaning cylinder having its stiff tufts of bristles, whalebone, or other stiff substance arranged on spiral lines and alternately out of line with one another, the dust-trap doors hinged and provided with spring fastening-extensions, the knocker-rod, the driving-gearing, the traction and adjusting rollers, and the coupling means, whereby the said cylinder and gearing are coupled and uncoupled, substantially as and for the purpose described.

4.. The combination of the frame 0, provided with a handle, the brush-cylinder A, provided with a coupling-disk, the sliding short journal provided with a coupling-disk and pins, the pinion, the internally-toothed wheel, the two gears, and a traction=roller, substantially as and for the purpose described.

5. The combination of the short j ournal having gear f, coupling-disk and pins, gear F, spiral spring, the revolving brush having a perforated coupling-disk, a traction roller or Wheel, and a frame provided with a handle, substantially as and for the purpose described.

6. The revolving combing-brush provided with a short journal, I), at one end, and a perforated disk, I), at its other end, in combination with the short journal 0, having a pinion, and provided with the spring If, and couplingdisk b having pins b", and the arched frame with its gearing, substantially as and for the purpose described.

oonnnmus s. OONDE. EDWIN A. oonnn.

\Vitnessesz H. O. LITGINS, A. I. Cox. 

